Wicksteed Park goes into Administration

[Garet]

Oldest theme park on UK mainland Wicksteed Park goes into administration

The park was due to celebrate their centenary year next year

 

The UK mainland's oldest theme park has announced that the company has gone into administration, and the gates will not be opening again.

 

Wicksteed Park, based just up the A14 in Kettering, Northamptonshire announced yesterday (June 15) that they had gone into administration.

 

Sharing a post on their Facebook page, they said: "It is with great sadness that we have to announce that Wicksteed Park Limited has gone into administration."

 

The closure of the park means the loss of 48 permanent staff and 67 part-time staff due to the huge financial strain after the hospitality and leisure industry was hit particularly hard by the measures brought in to contain coronavirus.

 

A fundraising appeal was launched to help save the park, with donations flooding in and thousands already raised from many people who have fond memories of the park, and who visited during their childhood.

 

The bid to save the family favourite park has even been backed by former Strictly star and one of TV's most famous vicars, Reverend Richard Coles, according to our sister site NorthantsLive.

 

Oliver Wicksteed, chairman of the Wicksteed Charitable Trust, who own the park, revealed that they had fallen victim to the unforeseen circumstances and that the coronavirus outbreak had left the Trust with no income for months - apart form a small amount of car parking revenue.

 

In a statement, Mr Wicksteed said: "We are all devastated by what has happened and the effect this will have on our staff, their families and our visitors.

 

"We fully appreciate the effect this decision will have on staff members who have already been through months of uncertainty and difficulty due to COVID-19 and we are working hard to ensure they have access to the support and advice they need at this time.

 

"We are working hard to enable the park to continue but the reality is that without urgent significant support Wicksteed Park will not survive as we know it."

 

The Charitable Trust has said they will try their best to continue funding the opening of the park and pavilion areas for people to enjoy the local amenity for their daily exercise, and to appreciate the open space which has proved crucial to our physical and mental wellbeing during lockdown.

 

They have also pledged to honour any bookings for forthcoming events as well as annual passes and will try to retain functions and shows in the park pavilion as soon as government guidelines allow.

 

"The costs of the old business were crippling"

 

Mr Wicksteed continued, saying: "The new company, funded by the Trust, is a much streamlined business aimed at getting the park through to next spring when it can hopefully start to reopen fully but we need people's help, support and understanding in order to try and make that happen.

 

"The costs of the old business were crippling and could not be sustained with the huge loss of revenue already suffered this year.

 

"Even if park rides opened in July, the costs of social distancing measures and the reduced capacity at which the park would have to operate, would have meant it was unlikely to be financially viable.

 

Though there has been some help through the Government's furlough scheme, the cost of keeping the country park open, without the rides and attractions, still required a substantial income each month.

 

Mr Wicksteed added: "We have been overwhelmed by the messages of support received from people across the country during the current crisis and would like to thank people for their continued backing and loyalty.

 

"The green space access that we have provided during this crisis has been crucial for people's mental health and wellbeing.

 

"But ultimately, Wicksteed Park is a private park which costs a great deal of money to maintain if we are going to continue to open for people to use free of charge, as we have for the last 99 years."

 

 

He went on to say: "We now need people, not least the Government, to recognise all we have done for the many millions of people who need our park and our work supporting the community.

 

"The sacrifices that people are having to make during the current crisis are extraordinary and in some ways Wicksteed Park and its future are nowhere near the top of people's priorities, as they become ill, lose loved-ones and struggle to make ends meet financially.

 

"But millions of people across the country and generations of families love Wicksteed Park and have scores of happy memories made here.

 

"It is a touchstone in their lives and a representation of the fun times they have had - and when the country comes out of the other side of this crisis, as it inevitably will, it will be one of the places that people want to return to as a sign that normality has returned."

 

He concluded saying: "More than 400,000 of the 850,000 visits to the park each year generate no revenue at all because we offer free access to support the local community and improving physical and mental wellbeing.

 

"However, if we want it to stay for many millions of people in the future to enjoy then we need to find a way to protect and preserve it."

Source

 

Is this the first announce permanent closure due to corona? Not sure many enthusiasts will miss it since it just had a small Pinifari clone but the playground was huge and the park had a nice lake to take boats out on. Their water chute was a pretty unique ride too.

[KarlaKoaster]

I didn't realise this was the oldest theme park in the UK. Normally administration means the park is essentially taken over by accountants who look to salvage the park and either sell it on or wind it down. This happened to Fantasy Island and arguably the administrators did a better job of running the park than the previous owners!

 

The 'gates will not be opening again' line sounded pretty certain, but the quote from the owner at least makes it sound like they are at least hoping there is some way out.

 

M&Ds in Scotland also went into administration a while ago, but I feel like this park has been circling the drain for a few years with the accident on their Pinfari invert not helping and covid being either the final straw or the perfect excuse to call it a day.

[KarlaKoaster]

Some good news. The park have received a £247,000 grant from the Heritage Emergency Fund which is run by the National Lottery in the UK and set up in response to covid with a percentage of lottery ticket sales going towards charitable causes. They have also raised £129,203 via a fundraising campaign meaning they have a total of £376,203.

 

The trust backed the formation of a new smaller company, with the aim of raising money to re-open the park.

 

BBC News article